If You Love Me You Will Keep My Commandments
Good afternoon, this is my first sermon so I’ll have to apologize that it won’t be as good as my father’s sermons. I believe writing a sermon is a good way to explore how you feel about
scripture and what it means to you personally. While researching I found lots of different
interpretations of the same text. Not all of them made sense to me, It can be frustrating when
you don’t understand. However I found that reading multiple interpretations can help form a
more clear image in your mind.
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” At first, I read this as if it was a friend asking for you not to eat their slice of the pie if you value their friendship. But I realized
there was more to it than that. Jesus goes on to say that “They who have my commandments
and keep them are those who love me: and those who love me will be loved by my father, and I
will love them and reveal myself to them.” This adds more depth to the previous statement. If
we keep God's commandments, he will reveal himself to us. GOD said “I will not leave you
orphaned; I am coming to you.” Jesus was referencing the coming of the Holy Spirit. He
repeatedly tells us we will see him and we will live, but he only asks one thing of us. That we
love him, and keep his commandments. He wants us to remain in him, so that we may live.
Time and time again Jesus reminds us that he resides in the father, and that he and the spirit of truth abides in us. I counted, he says it 4 times in only 6 or 7 verses. That got me thinking, of
course it must be important if he says it this much, but what does it truly mean when he says “I
will abide in you?” It can mean any amount of things, but the message he is trying to get across
is that he is with you. Through thick and thin he is with you, he will never desert you because
he loves you. I think that is amazing, that his love is so deep that it surpasses our
understanding.
Having such a deep one-sided love would be a shame right? He’s like a parent laying out some ground rules before kids go playing outside, “Don’t go too far, don’t steal other kid’s toys, don’t kill each other !” Parents make those rules because they love you and cherish your well-being. Jesus is similar in this way, he loves us and cares about our well-being. If we didn’t
follow his rules and did our own thing, we would be casting aside his deep love for us as if it was useless. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
I was looking at some Bible commentary for the Gospel according to John, a professor known as Jaime Clark-Soles pointed out something very interesting. She wrote: Jesus gave 2 commandments to sum up the original 10. One of them is this: “Love one another just as I have loved you. ” Jesus wants us to understand that he and the Father are one. Jesus also wants us to spread the same love that we have come to know through him, to one another. It’s almost
like Jesus is asking us (believers) to join in as honorary guests in the Holy Trinity.
How is our love for Jesus now? Is it really that deep? I believe in setting spiritual goals to deepen our connection with GOD. These can be as simple as making sure you leave some
time to pray about your day. We are not able to see how GOD sees us, but through studying
scriptures our lives change more into his likeness. The Holy Scriptures have lots to teach us as
I have come to find out in our Youth Bible Study, that this, we are meant to put it into action.
What are we taking away from this? Jesus gave us rules and a playground, he did it out of love for us. We should naturally love him back not halfheartedly, but with a full commitment.
He gave his life for you and me. Nothing can surpass that.
scripture and what it means to you personally. While researching I found lots of different
interpretations of the same text. Not all of them made sense to me, It can be frustrating when
you don’t understand. However I found that reading multiple interpretations can help form a
more clear image in your mind.
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” At first, I read this as if it was a friend asking for you not to eat their slice of the pie if you value their friendship. But I realized
there was more to it than that. Jesus goes on to say that “They who have my commandments
and keep them are those who love me: and those who love me will be loved by my father, and I
will love them and reveal myself to them.” This adds more depth to the previous statement. If
we keep God's commandments, he will reveal himself to us. GOD said “I will not leave you
orphaned; I am coming to you.” Jesus was referencing the coming of the Holy Spirit. He
repeatedly tells us we will see him and we will live, but he only asks one thing of us. That we
love him, and keep his commandments. He wants us to remain in him, so that we may live.
Time and time again Jesus reminds us that he resides in the father, and that he and the spirit of truth abides in us. I counted, he says it 4 times in only 6 or 7 verses. That got me thinking, of
course it must be important if he says it this much, but what does it truly mean when he says “I
will abide in you?” It can mean any amount of things, but the message he is trying to get across
is that he is with you. Through thick and thin he is with you, he will never desert you because
he loves you. I think that is amazing, that his love is so deep that it surpasses our
understanding.
Having such a deep one-sided love would be a shame right? He’s like a parent laying out some ground rules before kids go playing outside, “Don’t go too far, don’t steal other kid’s toys, don’t kill each other !” Parents make those rules because they love you and cherish your well-being. Jesus is similar in this way, he loves us and cares about our well-being. If we didn’t
follow his rules and did our own thing, we would be casting aside his deep love for us as if it was useless. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
I was looking at some Bible commentary for the Gospel according to John, a professor known as Jaime Clark-Soles pointed out something very interesting. She wrote: Jesus gave 2 commandments to sum up the original 10. One of them is this: “Love one another just as I have loved you. ” Jesus wants us to understand that he and the Father are one. Jesus also wants us to spread the same love that we have come to know through him, to one another. It’s almost
like Jesus is asking us (believers) to join in as honorary guests in the Holy Trinity.
How is our love for Jesus now? Is it really that deep? I believe in setting spiritual goals to deepen our connection with GOD. These can be as simple as making sure you leave some
time to pray about your day. We are not able to see how GOD sees us, but through studying
scriptures our lives change more into his likeness. The Holy Scriptures have lots to teach us as
I have come to find out in our Youth Bible Study, that this, we are meant to put it into action.
What are we taking away from this? Jesus gave us rules and a playground, he did it out of love for us. We should naturally love him back not halfheartedly, but with a full commitment.
He gave his life for you and me. Nothing can surpass that.
Amen.
This is my Son first sermon preached at the occasion of the Episcopal Youth Seniors ready for College. Jean Pierre Senyoni, you made us proud!
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